Money Manipulation
Coin Manipulation: A site showing coin flourishes, largely based on Poker Chip flourishes, some demo videos, a forum, and text based instructions.
Performance, Poker Face, Practice
Been busy lately, hence the slight relapse into no-post land... amongs that have been a couple of the too-rare opportunities I get to perform... One was for a local magic club, as a sort of exchange for HMC, and the other was for living breathing humans 
The difference was quite interesting, its fair to say I slightly messed up one of my tricks for the magic crowd (it went right every time in rehersal!) so wasn't on the best of form, but it did give me some insight into what can go wrong and the ability to think on your feet! But also the difference was highlighted between performing for magicians and for the regular joe public. No reaction to any jokes, bits of business or by-play for the magicians, now I'm not getting at or criticising the club in question, I believe from watching lots of magic with other magicians, this is a common occurence, we are all to engrossed in watching the mechanics, rather than just enjoying the whole. When I am watching another magician I do try and react like I think I should at all the right places, but not too over the top so it seems fake. But its never going to be quite the same as a reaction from the lay-person, as witnessed the night after.
I got the chance to perform with a group of good friends, for a small select group above a local pub, what a buzz, I have to get out and do this more often! Screams, Laughter, Gasps, Looks of amazement, it was all there, and reminded me why we all do this magic lark! Anyway my belated new-years resolution is to get out there this year and do some more performance.
I was trying for the first time a new routine I have thrown together, its a kind of pseudo-mind reading/body language/psychology type routine, themed on the expression 'keeping a poker face' and being able to read peoples body language. None of it is my own, I have just routined it so I hope it gets more impossible looking as it goes on. Its only really just come together, but I have had the idea in my mind for a while. Basically I will be a bit vague on this so as not to expose too much, but it starts off with Mr Draun's move to get certain information, which is revealed through some pseudo-body language reading, ie. pressing down on there hands to reveal colour/suit as they concentrate on it, then on the fingers to get the value. Then I use Mr Wimhurst's similar but even more impossible looking move, and reveal after a spectator shuffle, with Paul Wilson's Think Stop type reveal, after saying that this time I won't use body-language I will just show them cards, and they have to try and keep a poker face, and just think stop when they see the card. If I want to continue I generally finish using something similar to the trick that is on Steve Youell's Scruffy CD using a similar technique, so it looks as though it is all out of my hands when the spectator shuffles their cards, looks at a card in their hands, with my head turned and then I just put the cards back in the box without looking at them or even showing them to the spectator, and then thanks to a recent purchase (no hints here, but its a fairly new card item from a UK mentalist!) I can then go on to seemingly just read their thoughts and tell them the card they looked at when the cards where out of my hands. For those with card experience you can piece it together from that I hope!
I only got chance to road test this a few times the other night, but it did get the required looks of amazement, which I am getting used to, and I will take over laughs and applause any day! But I want to run this in some more, and play with it...
Lastly I've decided to take a little leaf out of Scott's book (check out his blog it's a good read) and start concentrating on and working on one routine a week (may be longer in my case!) in some hope to somehow steer my practice time that I have available (which isn't that much atm), I'm starting off with the pile of ever growing stuff that I have, top of that is Bob Farmer's Bammo Monte Monster, have just purchased his reloaded version as well, so I can work on the Skinner variant, so will let you know how that works out...
The difference was quite interesting, its fair to say I slightly messed up one of my tricks for the magic crowd (it went right every time in rehersal!) so wasn't on the best of form, but it did give me some insight into what can go wrong and the ability to think on your feet! But also the difference was highlighted between performing for magicians and for the regular joe public. No reaction to any jokes, bits of business or by-play for the magicians, now I'm not getting at or criticising the club in question, I believe from watching lots of magic with other magicians, this is a common occurence, we are all to engrossed in watching the mechanics, rather than just enjoying the whole. When I am watching another magician I do try and react like I think I should at all the right places, but not too over the top so it seems fake. But its never going to be quite the same as a reaction from the lay-person, as witnessed the night after.I got the chance to perform with a group of good friends, for a small select group above a local pub, what a buzz, I have to get out and do this more often! Screams, Laughter, Gasps, Looks of amazement, it was all there, and reminded me why we all do this magic lark! Anyway my belated new-years resolution is to get out there this year and do some more performance.
I was trying for the first time a new routine I have thrown together, its a kind of pseudo-mind reading/body language/psychology type routine, themed on the expression 'keeping a poker face' and being able to read peoples body language. None of it is my own, I have just routined it so I hope it gets more impossible looking as it goes on. Its only really just come together, but I have had the idea in my mind for a while. Basically I will be a bit vague on this so as not to expose too much, but it starts off with Mr Draun's move to get certain information, which is revealed through some pseudo-body language reading, ie. pressing down on there hands to reveal colour/suit as they concentrate on it, then on the fingers to get the value. Then I use Mr Wimhurst's similar but even more impossible looking move, and reveal after a spectator shuffle, with Paul Wilson's Think Stop type reveal, after saying that this time I won't use body-language I will just show them cards, and they have to try and keep a poker face, and just think stop when they see the card. If I want to continue I generally finish using something similar to the trick that is on Steve Youell's Scruffy CD using a similar technique, so it looks as though it is all out of my hands when the spectator shuffles their cards, looks at a card in their hands, with my head turned and then I just put the cards back in the box without looking at them or even showing them to the spectator, and then thanks to a recent purchase (no hints here, but its a fairly new card item from a UK mentalist!) I can then go on to seemingly just read their thoughts and tell them the card they looked at when the cards where out of my hands. For those with card experience you can piece it together from that I hope!
I only got chance to road test this a few times the other night, but it did get the required looks of amazement, which I am getting used to, and I will take over laughs and applause any day! But I want to run this in some more, and play with it...
Lastly I've decided to take a little leaf out of Scott's book (check out his blog it's a good read) and start concentrating on and working on one routine a week (may be longer in my case!) in some hope to somehow steer my practice time that I have available (which isn't that much atm), I'm starting off with the pile of ever growing stuff that I have, top of that is Bob Farmer's Bammo Monte Monster, have just purchased his reloaded version as well, so I can work on the Skinner variant, so will let you know how that works out...
Signature Magician and a True Legend
Haven't had chance to mention this DVD which was released I believe at Blackpool. I haven't seen a copy, but I can relate to you how it was to take part in the filming. This is probably the first and only magic DVD I may appear in, but that shouldn't stop you buying it 
Basically it was filmed at Colin Rose's on 11th December last year when he hosted a Workshop/Lecture with Alex Elmsley. When I saw the advert on MagicWeek I knew I couldn't miss the opportunity of a lifetime to meet with one of the greats of Card Magic, and the venue was fairly close to where I live (or so I thought!) So myself and another member of HMC (Rex Stott, who has somehow managed to get a quote on the DVD cover!) set off one cold Saturday morning into the wilds of Lincolnshire, and literally into the back of beyond to meet with Mr Elmsley. After arriving at Colins studio/house we were ushered in, and introduced to Alex. Now I'm not one of these people who will do anything to meet the celebrities in magic, I don't go to conventions and seek out the big names, in fact quite the opposite... so I am being sincere when I say it was a humbling and slightly nervous experience just to be in the presence of one of my hero's... to sit and listen to his stories, and watch his magic is a memory that will last a lifetime.
The workshop itself was basically a mix of a teach-in on Alex's false counts and stories and memories of his meeting famous magicians, and his thoughts on magic in general. Plus performance/explanations of amongs other things his Everchange count, Twisters Flush, One Poor Lion and an in-depth look at his Kasual Kosky swtich which is a great re-thinking on the Kosky Switch. To finish the workshop we were talking about the inherent discrepancy in doing the Ghost Count face-up and someone mentioned that you could do some routines with Jokers, and casually asked Alex if he had any such routines. Mr Elmsley stands up and without any build-up launches into a performance of his Dazzle routine, with the original cards, and blew us all away! What a way to finish the workshop... then it was down to the local pub whilst Colin and Sharon reset for the lecture. Now there is no truth in the rumour that Alex was supposed to rest-up but instead chose to come to the pub with us for more stories and whisky! Also chat about computers which was interesting to hear about his days as a mainframe programmer.
Then back for the night lecture, and what a lecture! It was basically his 'Alex is at it Again' lecture which he has recently presented down in London. I was sat on the front-row and got to help in a couple of things, didn't quite practice my L&L style reactions, but I hope I did it justice! I won't detail all the material, the highlights for me were Power Poker which is a great poker routine where the spectator can choose his own hand, yet you still end with a Royal Flush.Colour Filter which is Oil and Water meets Cards through Handkerchief. His Kasual Kosky (as mentioned a great casual alternative to the Kosky Switch) and his Andrews Colour Change (hmm can you work out what this is?) Three in Hiding is a great routine based on the spectators hiding objects in their pockets, and you divining what they are, here done with playing cards, also supplied is a great way to frame this around poker. I got to help Alex with his Oyster Shells routine which is a brilliant way of having some fun and letting the spectator take the spotlight for a bit, won't say much more than that, buy the DVD!
Alex finished off his lecture by taking questions, and then a request for him to do Dazzle, mainly from the guys who hadn't made the workshop and heard us ranting! Again an excellent performance, which earned him a well deserved standing ovation. It was a true honour and pleasure to spend the day with this legend, and you lucky people get to see it for the price of the DVD available from Hocus-Pocus.
May the Folds be with you!
Star Wars Origami with paper money, from this Japanese site that has lots of paper money origami.
